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Legal adviser and public commenters clarify Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee roles
Summary
At a June 2025 Police Accountability Board meeting, a county legal adviser and other officials outlined that the PAB receives complaints and must forward them to the police department; the ACC, not the PAB, reviews investigations and decides whether department policy was violated. Public commenters urged greater transparency and outreach.
A legal adviser for the county and members of the public used a June 2025 Police Accountability Board meeting to clarify how complaint intake and case review are split between two civilian oversight bodies: the Police Accountability Board (PAB) and the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC).
Ernie Wright, a legal adviser who said he sits with statewide police legal advisers, told the board that the PAB and ACC were "designed and intended to operate and perform separate functions." He cited the Public Safety Article provisions that define the two bodies' responsibilities, saying the PAB's role is to receive complaints and forward them to the police department while the ACC is the civilian body statutorily charged with reviewing the department's investigations. "The PAB was intended to be another option, for citizens to feel more comfortable, make a complaint to an independent body," Wright said.
Public commenters at the meeting urged greater transparency and said the PAB should have direct access to complaints. Dr. Tolleson asked whether the complaint numbers reported in the packet are public and expressed concern that few officers were charged. "Are those numbers public numbers to the community?" she asked; staff confirmed they are public. Peter Richkis, a Towson resident, told the board that advocates are not asking PAB members to investigate but to review incoming complaints so the board can make fully informed policy recommendations.
Wright and other staff reiterated that the statute permits the PAB to accept complaints but requires those complaints be forwarded to the police department for investigation; it does not give the PAB investigatory authority. Wright referenced the Public Safety Article sections that outline the PAB's duties (Public Safety Article —3-102) and the ACC's responsibilities (Public Safety Article —3-104). He said the ACC is a civilian body, with five public members, and it may request additional investigation before issuing its findings.
An ACC member at the meeting offered to compile and present nonidentifying trend data at future PAB meetings, including where complaints originate and policy recommendations the ACC has offered. Board members and commenters discussed the need for clearer public outreach and website language; a staff member confirmed the PAB website states complaints received by the PAB "must be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agency within 3 days of receipt."
